25 Phyllis Street, Mount Albert, Auckland
View on map|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
Mt Albert Playcentre is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mt Albert Playcentre operates in a building with large, well maintained grounds, close to an urban council reserve. The centre is licensed for 30 children, including up to 15 children under two years of age. It is managed as a parent cooperative and opens for three sessions each week. Parents/whānau are kaiako for their children.
Centre practices are based on the Playcentre philosophy of families learning together. The centre's philosophy affirms parents as valued and best educators of their children. Sessions are guided by Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum, and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. There is an expectation that te reo and tikanga Māori are included in sessions.
Since the 2014 ERO review, centre members have maintained good practices and continued to provide good quality programmes for children. In response to the 2014 report, members have focused on strengthening bicultural practices. There have been changes in centre membership. Most members are currently enrolled in Playcentre adult education courses.
The new Playcentre Aotearoa structure is now fully operational. It provides a sound management framework and support personnel to help parents/whānau to manage their centres. Playcentre Aotearoa administers centres’ funding and provides adult education programmes for parents/whānau to achieve Playcentre qualifications.
This review was part of a cluster of six reviews in the Playcentre Aotearoa Auckland region.
Children engage in a child-led, play-based programme. Kaiako support child-initiated play and affirm children in the choices they make. They provide an interesting and very well resourced learning environment that invites and sustains children’s engagement in play, learning and creative expression.
Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging. They are caring and considerate of others and develop positive social skills. Children join in mixed-age play, which allows them to support and learn from each other. Kaiako affirm all children as unique competent learners and are responsive to their ideas and interests. Children play cooperatively, engage in group activities and demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning.
Supportive and friendly relationships between families support children to respect and value others. Children with additional learning needs are warmly included and the cultural diversity of the community is acknowledged and celebrated. Kaiako have a strong commitment to embedding bicultural practices in all aspects of the curriculum and centre operations. They consciously include waiata, te reo and tikanga Māori through the session.
Kaiako are highly supportive of each other in the education and care of all children at the centre. They ensure all ages of children can participate in a wide variety of learning experiences. Infants benefit from nurturing, individualised care and access to all areas of the centre. Toddlers can explore and be independent and are quickly reassured when necessary. Older children are self-managing and have leadership opportunities.
Centre members have adopted planned approaches to implementing the Playcentre Aotearoa policy framework. Experienced kaiako support newer centre members in understanding the Playcentre philosophy, centre expectations and taking on centre leadership roles. There is a strong commitment to Playcentre adult education. All members have a voice in centre management and decision making is by consensus. Internal evaluation is used to reflect on centre practices and leads to improvements for children and their families. It is now timely to strengthen internal evaluation.
Key next steps for kaiako/centre members are to continue to:
make the continuity of children's learning more visible in assessment, planning and evaluation documentation
continue to deepen the use of te reo and integration of tikanga Māori in the programme
develop shared understandings about, and strengthen processes for, internal evaluation for improvement.
Key next steps for development in the Playcentre Aotearoa Auckland region include:
strengthening the use of internal evaluation to measure the effectiveness of systems and practices across the region.
Before the review, the staff and management of Mt Albert Playcentre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region - Te Tai Raki
3 June 2020
The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.
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Location |
Mt Albert, Auckland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
22027 |
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Licence type |
Playcentre |
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Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
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Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 15 aged under 2 years |
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|
Service roll |
26 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Boys 19 Girls 7 |
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|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
4 |
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Review team on site |
October 2019 |
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Date of this report |
3 June 2020 |
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|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2015 |
|
Education Review |
May 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
January 2009 |
|
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
Very well placed
Well placed
Requires further development
Not well placed
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.
|
Not well placed |
Requires further development |
Well placed |
Very well placed |
ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.
Mt Albert Playcentre is a well-established parent cooperative in a residential suburb of Central Auckland. The centre provides sessional education and care for children from birth to school age, five days a week in a mixed age group. The centre is licensed for 30 children per session, including up to 12 less than two years of age. Children and their parents/whānau are encouraged to attend at least two sessions per week. As children become more familiar with Playcentre, they are able to attend at least one session without a parent, and attend three or four days a week.
Centre members provide programmes that are based on child-initiated play and closely relate to the requirements of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The Playcentre philosophy guides the operation of the service.
The centre operates as part of the Auckland Playcentres Association, which provides Playcentre adult education, frameworks of policies and procedures and support from Association personnel. Each Playcentre contributes to the make-up of the Association and has representatives at Association level.
At present the Playcentre Federation is undertaking a restructure with the aim of maintaining the viability of Playcentres throughout New Zealand. This is likely to change the current structure of the Auckland Playcentres Association.
This review was part of a cluster of nine Playcentre reviews in the Auckland Playcentres Association.
Children attending Mt Albert Playcentre are well supported to engage with and enjoy their play. Adults work with children, talking with them and encouraging problem-solving and thinking. Children demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing in the centre.
Adults are actively involved in providing and managing sessions. They support children’s development and growth towards being capable and confident learners. This aspiration is highly evident in the processes that have been established to support individual children’s strengths, interests and needs.
Children initiate and lead programmes through the choices they make about their play. Adults see their role as supporting and sustaining children’s chosen play. Their high quality conversations with children and provision of resources, support children to gain satisfaction and learning from their play.
Adults provide programmes that are highly inclusive of children and other adults. Sessions are planned to cater for all children including infants and toddlers. Older children are challenged and supported to extend their thinking. Children with diverse needs are given support, some with care workers provided through the Association. This support enables parents/whānau to play with other children.
Centre members have a continuing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnerships. Adults support each other to use te reo Māori with children, to sing waiata and to teach children about tikanga Māori. Children and adults competently manage a haka pōwhiri welcome for visitors. Centre displays further support members’ commitment.
Children’s assessment portfolios include stories about their experiences and learning in the centre. Adults evaluate the programme at the end of each session. They discuss individual children’s learning and plan for future ways to extend their learning and interests. Centre members could now consider ways to make children’s progress more visible in assessment documentation.
Members attending the centre take on leadership roles and responsibilities to ensure that the centre operates well. They are engaged in Playcentre adult education and the emergent leadership aims of Playcentre are highly evident in this centre.
The Association’s strategic plan provides a guide for governance and is regularly monitored. Management and governance processes are well established. The Association provides assistance for centres, and appropriate Playcentre training courses. It provides regular termly visits from a curriculum and programme supporter. Association office holders are highly committed to the Playcentre philosophy and to maintaining Playcentre as a valuable early childhood education option for parents/whānau.
Centre members agree that their key next steps include:
Before the review, the staff and management of Mt Albert Playcentre completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:
During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:
All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
The next ERO review of Mt Albert Playcentre will be in four years.
Dale Bailey
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
25 May 2015
|
Location |
Mt Albert, Auckland |
||
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
22027 |
||
|
Licence type |
Playcentre |
||
|
Licensed under |
Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008 |
||
|
Number licensed for |
30 children, including up to 12 aged under 2 |
||
|
Service roll |
45 |
||
|
Gender composition |
Boys 24 Girls 21 |
||
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā other |
7 34 4 |
|
|
Reported ratios of staff to children |
Under 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
Over 2 |
1:3 |
Better than minimum requirements |
|
|
Review team on site |
March 2015 |
||
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Date of this report |
25 May 2015 |
||
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review |
May 2012 |
|
|
Education Review |
January 2009 |
||
|
Education Review |
November 2005 |
ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:
Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children
Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children
Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children
Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.
Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.
ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.
A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.
For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.
The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:
ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.
ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.